Morix: Web of Mistrust

Turnabout Masquerade, Part 11

November 22

Courtroom No. 6

10:00 AM

Deirdre Brigit

The courtroom, unfortunately, held much the same atmosphere as the defendant lobby before it. I could feel the anxiety hanging in the air like a thick curtain before I even settled down, and all I could do was swallow dryly in response. I could tell that there was something wrong with the prosecution as well, though I didn't need to ask what it was to know my answer. 

It had to be related to the video that was captured by the camera on the side of the nearby apartment building. I simply knew it. Yuri had said that she got the information from Chief Prosecutor Bespoke, and he was undoubtedly aware of it. Even Anton seemed to be stressed, and I prayed that the case ended somewhat well for his sake as well as Lily's safety. I could tell that this wasn't the environment for him given how stressed everyone else was. Chances were that he had asked to help out and used his quiet stubbornness to wind up on the case against the wishes of those around him. 

"Court is back in session for the trial of Lily Shield," Judge Diaphan declared once we were all settled down. "Yesterday, I issued a command for both the defense and prosecution to investigate the case to the best of their abilities to find the truth behind what took place the day of the crime. I trust that you followed through with such?"

Chief Prosecutor Bespoke nodded. "We did... And we found something that you're all going to believe is rather interesting," he said, his words hollow and distant. I winced at his choice of phrasing. He was right in saying as much, but it still bothered me that we were being forced to endure so much in the first place. 

Prosecutor Bloom was the one who chimed in next. "You see, the witness from yesterday, Razi Lesa, told us that she witnessed a man following the victim into the crime scene. She said that the victim was likely attacked behind closed doors and implicated a man with white hair for the crime. However... Further investigation showed us that she couldn't have been in the place that she claimed to have been at the time of the crime," she explained. 

Judge Diaphan's expression slipped into shock, but before she had the chance to ask about what Prosecutor Bloom was talking about, she was cut off by none other than Chief Prosecutor Bespoke. "You see, there's a camera mounted to the side of the apartment building across the street from the agency. That was where we thought the witness was waiting when she saw everything that was mentioned before, but when the footage was revealed, it came to light that she was never in the place that she claimed to have been."

"She lied about where she was at the time of the crime?" Judge Diaphan asked, a frown on her face. When she was met with a nod, she closed her eyes in contemplation. "I see... This is certainly a heavy offense. We need to hear her testimony again at once to ensure that we can find at least something truthful from her words."

"I guess that Ms. Lesa's amnesia isn't going to keep her from being accused of doing something wrong from here on out," Yuri remarked to me. I nodded lightly to say that I agreed. Judge Diaphan's sudden intensity sat strangely with me, but I couldn't blame her in the slightest. She was right in saying that there was something wrong, and I was hoping that we would be able to hear about what it was specifically as soon as possible. Our case was hinging on it. 

"The prosecution calls Razi Lesa to the witness stand," Prosecutor Burke declared. She pointed to the podium in question, her expression and voice both notably pinched. I bit down on my lip, hoping that we wouldn't be met with the full force of her ire at any point during the trial. 

After Ms. Lesa made her way to the stand, she glanced around the area with fear glazing in her eyes. "Um... Is something wrong...?" she asked faintly. I could tell that she was fully aware of what was happening and was simply trying to make it seem like she wasn't suspicious, but that wasn't going to fly with me. I could tell that there was something going on, and it was only a matter of time before she was made fully aware of the fact that we knew what was happening.